Al Sharpton Surprises Samuel L. Jackson with Birthday Cake Onstage at Broadway's The Piano Lesson

Samuel L. Jackson spent his 74th birthday on Broadway.

The Pulp Fiction Oscar nominee is starring in the Main Stem revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where he was surprised with a cake by Rev. Al Sharpton during the show's curtain call.

Sharpton is among a handful of celebrity guests to visit the Ethel Barrymore to see Samuel and the cast in the show. In recent days, The Piano Lesson welcomed Brandee Evans, Condola Rashad, Deborah Joy Winans, Taraji P. Henson, Giancarlo Esposito and Natasha Lyonne.

Helmed by Samuel's wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, the limited Broadway engagement will continue through Jan. 29.

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Tricia Baron

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Prior to the production's official opening night on Oct. 13, LaTanya, 73, spoke about what it was like getting to work so closely with her husband.

"Let me just say: Do know that when I leave the theater — as late as it is, after they leave — I go home and cook, and then I do the dishes, just so we're all on that page," she told PEOPLE in September.

"Then, over dinner, of course we discuss what has transpired during the day because I find that sometimes it's easier to offer suggestions at that time — of what could be, you know, lifted. And maybe we want to look at this a different way," she added. "That's an easier time to do it because that's the time that we usually spend together."

Tricia Baron

The show premiered in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1990. It tells the story of the Charles family and their argument over the future of the family heirloom, a piano, decorated with designs by an enslaved ancestor.

The Piano Lesson is the highest-grossing revival play of the season, according to representatives for the production. In addition to Samuel, it also stars actor and former football pro John David Washington (who is also the son of Denzel Washington) and The Color Purple star Danielle Brooks.

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This is Samuel's first return to the Broadway stage in over a decade.

The Piano Lesson, in particular, is a full-circle moment for the actor, who originated the role of Boy Willie (now played by Washington) when the show premiered in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He served as an understudy when the play went to Broadway.

And for LaTanya, directing Wilson's play has been a "life dream," she previously said.